Contact breaker



Feb. 28, H WARNER 1,899,543

CONTACT BREAKER Filed April 3, 1950 Inventor:

Her-b er-t- T Warner'- 5 His AUt. orneg.

' plate 18 which the contact breaker is used, the con- Patented Feb. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES P ATENT OFFICE] HERBERT T. WARNER, DECEASED, LATE OF COVENTRY, ENGLAND, BY RUTH WARNER,

ADMINISTRATRIX, OF FROME, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL ELECTRIC COM- PANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK CONTACT BREAKER Application filed April 3, 1930, Serial No. 441,338, and in Great Britain April 3, 1929.

This invention relates to contact breakers for dynamo-electric machines.

In contact breakers as heretofore constructed they have been provided with relatively movable contacts and a cam or other suitable device which separated the contacts at a speed dependent on the speed of the machine with which it is used. For this reason, when the machines were operated at low speeds, the speed of separation of the contacts was correspondingly reduced, and this caused severe arcing at the contacts.

The object of this invention is to provide a contact breaker in which the contacts are separated rapidly irrespective of the speed of the machine with which it is used. This is accomplished by providing a contact breaker having relatively movable contacts and a cam-actuated member which is biased to such a position as to close said contacts at a speed independent of the speed of the cam. This invention will be more fully set forth in the following description referring to the accompanying drawing, and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claim annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a contact breaker constructed in accordance with this invention showing the contacts open, and Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the contacts closed.

Referring to the drawing, as an example of one manner of carrying out this invention, there is shown a contact breaker which includes relatively movable contacts 10 and 11. The contact 10 is carried by an adjusting screw 12 which is threaded into a plate 13 and locked in adjusted position by a nut 14. The contact 11 is secured to a spring 15 which is attached by screws 16 to an insulating support 17 The plate 13, spring 15 and support 17 are attached to the condenser endof the dynamo-electric machine with denser end-plate being secured to the rotatable element of the dynamo-electric machine in such a manner as to rotate therewith.

The spring 15 normally holds the contacts 10 and 11 in engagement with each other and, in order to separate them rapidly and irrespective of the speed of the machine, there is provided a member 19 which is pivotally supported intermediate the ends thereof on the condenser end-plate 18 by a pin 20, the member 19 being preferably made of fibre or other insulating and wear resisting material. The member 19 is biased to the position illustrated in Fig. 1 by a spring 21 which is arranged in a recess 22 formed in the member. One end of the spring is secured in an opening in the pin 20, as indicated at 23, and the other end thereof extends into a slotforming the member 19, as indicated at 24. The spring 21 is made so that it biases the member 19 toward the position shown in Fig. 1, in which position the contacts 10 and 11 are separated. In order to successively close and open the contacts 10 and 11 an arcuate cam 25 is formed on, or suitably secured to, a portion 26 of the stationary member of the machine with which the contact breaker is used. The cam 25 is proportioned so that when the member 19 engages the cam it is turned from the position showing in Fig. 1 toward the position shown in Fig. 2 which permits the spring 15 to close the contacts 10 and 11. WVhen the member 19 passes ofi arcuate cam 25, it is turned by the spring 21 to the position shown in Fig. 1 so as "to abruptly open the contacts 10 and 11. It is apparent that in this construction the speed of separation of the contacts 10 and 11 will be entirely independent of the speed of the member 19 with respect to the cam 25 because the contacts are opened by the action of the spring 19 and not directly by the cam 25.

Modifications of the particular construction of the contact breaker which is illustrated will occur to those skilled in the art, but it is not desired to be limited thereto, and it is intended in the appended claim to cover all modifications which do not depart from g the spirit and scope of the'invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In combination with stationary and rotatable elements, a contact breaker including relatively movable contacts carried by said rotatable element, means for resiliently retaining said contacts in engagement with each other, a cam carried by said stationary element, a pivoted member secured to said rotatable element and arranged to engage said cam and said resilient contact supporting means, and means for biasing said pivoted member in such position as to open said contacts, said cam being formed to engage said pivoted member to close saidcontacts and to release the same so as to separate said contacts at a speed independent of the speed of said rotatable element.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of March, 1930.

- RUTH WARNER, Administratrz'm 0f the Estate of the Late Herbert T. Warner, Deceased. 

